Valentine's Lay
by helebette
Summary: I wrote this for a Valentine's fic exchange. It's mushier than my usual stuff I do believe. Inspired by the mutual proposal fail on Modern Family.


**Valentine's Lay. **

Regina begins to squirm only minutes into the special showing of _Willow_. Not only is she accompanying her son to a film about a Wicked Queen hell-bent on destroying a small baby (a part of her story that Henry had already heard) but the people showing the movie seem clueless about its theme until it's too late. So by the time Regina decides to leave—instructing Henry to go home with Snow White who sits horrified to her left—everyone was either glaring at her or looking absolutely terrified.

It's a ridiculous night anyway. Valentine's Day is the stupidest thing Regina has ever heard of. Still, she'd hoped to distract herself from the invented holiday with a mindless movie.

Of course it's Emma who runs after Regina. She'd been skulking nervously in the wings, watching and waiting until the right moment to slip into the seat behind.

Now, Regina is storming out of what was supposed to be a stupid film event in the town's new movie theatre. Ridiculous amounts of resources had gone into the theatre and it is the first of its kind. Even by Emma's standards it's amazing. She's proud of Regina, for pulling it all off. The theatre has interactive features including water canons and vibrating or tilting chairs, depending on whatever was happening on screen.

It's treacherous outside. Some kind of Arctic front had swept through and snowstorms were keeping the townspeople busy. With everyone back at the theatre, the streets were eerily quiet, cold, and really slippery.

"Woah…" Emma skids down the sidewalk and ends up on the edge of the street, where the snow has made a perfect little walking path of crust and sand. She's not dressed for this stupid little walk.

"To hell with them." Regina hisses over her shoulder. "I'll…I'll…"

"You'll what?" Emma asks politely.

"If it's the last thing I do, I'll..." Regina sputters and rushes ahead, but Emma catches up and grabs at her arm.

"God, you're so dramatic, would you just relax?" Regina spins out of her grip and Emma continues on, damning the terrain in more ways than one. "You're hurt, I get that, but you can't…" Then, Emma has to run to catch up, as Regina turns and walks quickly away from her. "…you can't just storm away whenever there's a problem, Regina!" She catches up but keeps her distance, shoving her hands in her jacket pockets and glaring when Regina swerves and doubles back. Emma tries to keep up with the surprise tactic, but she hits a patch of ice and her legs fly out from under her.

The surprised cry is one thing, but the yelp that Emma lets out when she lands hard on her hip is enough to bring Regina right back again.

"Are you ok? I'm sorry." Regina really does look sorry. She tries to help Emma to her feet but the slippery street gets her also. She lands on top of Emma's torso with grunt.

"Ow." Emma growls. Regina looks too sheepish to reprimand though. When she manages to extract herself from the tangled heap, Emma sees that Regina has torn her slacks at both knees. "Let's get you home." She says sympathetically.

They're both freezing by the time they arrive at Regina's car, parked stupidly far away. Emma apologizes once they're inside. "You really did a cool thing for everyone." She looks almost shy, glancing at Regina as the car warms.

"Thanks." Regina just sort of grimaces and then tries to smile. It's frightening. Emma snorts with laughter but tries to cover it up by swiping at her nose. "What?" Regina's voice is low and dangerous.

"Ummm…You're just…you're not that scary anymore, Regina." Emma finally says, contorting her face this way and that to avoid laughing right in Regina's. She hears the huff of frustration next to her and can't help but grin.

"You're ridiculous." The car is still freezing so when Regina chastises her, it's through chattering teeth.

"And you're still not scary." Emma leans and brushes away the lock of hair that's fallen over Regina's forehead. "So stop trying to intimidate me with your magical haughty glaring." It's her turn to roll her eyes when Regina tries to stare her down. "Watch where you're driving." Emma says. "And give me a ride home while you're driving us into lamp posts and shit."

"I refuse to drive you anywhere but to my home." Regina huffs.

"Well fine then. Take me to your place but get us there in one piece." Emma pretends to grumble about it but she's actually really happy. They're quiet for awhile and then she hears:

"Smartass."

To which Emma grins and quips, "What? It's just a little role-play. We're pretending that I still live at my mom's and you still hate me and…"

"I never hated you. Try as I might." Finally, after all of the nonsense, Regina relaxes. She pats Emma's thigh in a friendly sort of way and hums along to the radio all the way home. "And I certainly don't hate you now." She adds, totally unnecessarily.

They've been in love for years now. They'd fallen in love after a series of magical curses turned the world all upside down, overlaying reality upon reality upon dream upon dream, until one day, Emma looked at the woman who had stood by her through so much turmoil and said, "Goddammit if we aren't the world's best divorced gay moms."

"We're like divorced gay mom superheroes." Regina had replied. "The Divorced Duo. Rushing into danger to save our frustratingly adventurous son."

It had begun then with a hug. Just a hug. A hug that went on a minute too long. A hug that left them both teary and tightly knit together, hands splayed on one another's backs.

It basically had escalated from there.

Now, the world is new. They're a family. Henry often likes to stay at his grandparents in part because he and the new baby—essentially his aunt, who had been home with David while Snow got a rare night out—get along swimmingly. He also takes up a whole two rooms on the other side of the house from where Emma and Regina now share space.

"I'm throwing something onto my laptop and you're watching it with me." Regina talks as she walks but Emma stops her.

"Sorry about the movie. I wish I'd known." Emma throws her scarf and gloves into the basket they keep by the front door. She helps Regina with her coat first, then turns so that Regina can peel hers off. Sometimes the season is just tiring. When she's down to just her shirt again, she turns and wraps her arms around Regina's waist, lifting her an inch off the floor in a tight hug. The feeling of it all—of Regina's slightly thinner, less muscular but more wiry frame, the press of her curves—and her smell, is all familiar and yet still so exciting.

When Emma lifts her chin, she's angled perfectly to kiss the soft skin beneath Regina's ear, making the woman in her arms moan quietly. Their lips meet and they kiss softly. As Emma lets her mouth open, letting her tongue touch briefly against Regina's, she sneaks in a spell that heals the scrapes on her lover's knees. Regina's hand splays over her hip and the bruise there dissipates as well.

Before it can escalate any further, Regina pulls back and breathlessly says, "I was promised popcorn and a movie."

"No popcorn in bed but we can watch whatever you want." Emma replies.

They settle for glasses of wine and a plate of homemade truffles that Regina moans over even louder than she had over Emma's kisses. They splay out on their bed, wearing just their pajama bottoms and tank tops, while _When Harry Met Sally _plays, and a fire roars in the fireplace. It's almost the perfect way to end their evening.

Except for one thing. The thing that they'd needed to talk about that the movie had interrupted.

Emma starts to broach the subject by kissing Regina's neck right at the part when Harry and Sally part ways for the first time in New York.

"Hmmmm, what are you doing?" Regina's hand cups the side of Emma's face and she tilts her chin for better access to her neck.

"They were supposed to show _Dirty Dancing_, not _Willow._" Emma mutters against her lover's throat. "And when Johnny said that whole thing about putting Baby in a corner, I was going to give you this."

The silence is deafening then. It fills the room and reaches all around and into them, threatening to pull old grief to the surface.

Because sometimes…

Sometimes happy things make Regina really sad and then they just have to ride it out…

"What is it?" Regina asks, almost politely.

_It,_ is a diamond ring. More specifically, it is a ring of white gold with three purple diamonds inlaid.

"When the final dance happened, I was supposed to get up and ask _you_ for a dance. I had people all set up to sing that stupid song. It was basically a flash mob." Emma pauses, getting onto her knees. "My mom was really upset, in case you didn't notice. She was looking forward to it all." Emma kneels at the edge of the bed now. The ring slips easily onto Regina's finger. She turns on the music next to their bed and lowers the volume on the movie. Bob Dylan sings _Romance in Durango_ and she finally gets a shaky Regina to her feet.

They'd taken dance lessons just for kicks the year before but they don't use any of their new moves. Regina can only cling to Emma's shoulders as she listens to a long an elaborate proposal that includes all kinds of stuff about second chances and how Emma hadn't thought she'd find love like this but here it is…

"Yes, yes, ok? Stop. Yes." Regina's emotions are a torrid mix of wanting and worrying, remembering someone long gone and feeling the vivid reality of the person in her arms. Of course the next song that plays is by Edith Piaf. Cliché or not, _La vie en rose_ is one of Regina's favourites. "You changed the song list." Regina accuses, wiping her damp eyes and runny nose on Emma's shirt.

"Hey!" Emma spins her and holds her far away. "That was rude. After the gift I gave you?"

"Hmmm," The smirk is anything but sorry. As is the shove that follows. They fall into a heap for the second time in one night. Luckily, this time there's a bed. "You're a terrible dancer," Regina sniffles, "but I love you and I'll agree to hitch my horse to your wagon."

"That's…rude. Again." But Emma is grinning as hard as Regina is now crying.

"Proposing on Valentine's Day." Regina says with a smirk. "Now we have to celebrate it every year."

"Yeah, that was part of my diabolical plan." Emma happens to like Valentine's Day and she wanted a way to push Regina since she claims to hate the whole concept. She rolls on top of Regina, reversing their positions and takes a proper kiss again, no more smartass-ery. She tries to say "I love you," but Regina just keeps pulling her deeper and deeper until even Emma starts to get a little emotional. She really does love this woman. Even if Regina is totally interrupting what should turn into awesome sex to ramble on about a stupid cupcake.

"No, but I have this cupcake for you." Regina gasps as Emma's lips graze roughly across her neck and chest. "I made it today. You have to try it."

"When did you have time for that? Weren't you at work today?" Emma tries for the hem of Regina's pajama bottoms next. They're silk. Her own are merely cotton with blue stripes. She licks a line across the exposed skin just above the hem of those dark red silk bottoms, but Regina shoves her away even as she gasps and arches her back.

And because Emma really does want this whole proposal thing to turn out well (for them both) she pads downstairs at Regina's request, holding her new fiancé's hand (she hates the word but Regina keeps using it) and promising to enjoy this bizarre little cupcake scenario that's unfolding.

"That first night I met you," Regina says, "You'd talked about buying yourself a cupcake." They reach the kitchen and Emma sees the bright blue icing and her mouth waters.

"Yeah. You remembered how much I like cupcakes. Mmmm, cake generally." Emma nods. "And donuts." Her eyes shine at the sight of it. "So can I eat it?" She asks.

Regina nods. And, weirdly, she looks all teary again. She opens her mouth to say something but her lip trembles. When Emma goes to touch her she holds up a hand. "I wanted to tell you the rest." She says with rush of breath. "You said…"

"That's I'd wished not to be alone on my birthday." Emma smiles sadly at the memory. In those days, she'd been so hopeful that they could find a way to be friends. Or something. She just wanted Henry in her life and the sight of Henry's mother had made her _want_ so much…more. So much that she couldn't admit to herself at the time.

"And that's my promise to you, now. That you won't be alone." Regina's voice is really tight now. She swipes at a tear and smiles. "So I suppose you enlisted your mother's help, and I asked our son…"

"For what?" Emma is confused now. She takes a nibble of the cupcake and a rush of ecstasy hits at the taste of vanilla frosting. "Mmmmm…this is good."

"Keep going." Regina says, now smiling. It's the firm way she says the words that give the game away.

"Holy shit." Comes the reply. Well at least it makes Emma careful. Because she knows now why Regina had been so damn insistent that she eat a cupcake instead of _her_, and she knows not to bite too hard on the middle of the thing lest she chip her fucking tooth on whatever is inside.

She finds it a second later. A thin silver ring with a gold inscription '_how we sung to keep the dark away'_ is soon in Emma's palm.

"It's from a poem by Emily Dickinson." Regina's voice is quiet and reverent like they're in a cathedral or something and not just their kitchen. She takes the ring and licks off the chocolate before wiping it with a tissue and finally slipping it onto Emma's finger. They stand there holding hands and staring at it and Regina adds, "I'm sorry you were alone before. I won't let you be alone again. I love you and I want you to marry me. And I was going to ask you," Emma is already giving her a teary hug now but she continues, "I was going to ask you in the theatre. They were supposed to interrupt the movie halfway through with a broken reel or something," She rubs her palms soothingly over Emma's shaking shoulders. "Are you ok? Anyway, then Henry was going to lead a parade of people out the door, they were going to do a flash mob in front of my house…"

"Regina, it's fucking freezing." Emma pulls back and stares at her with a confused look. "they were going to dance and sing in the freezing cold?"

Regina just shrugs. "I'm their Queen. _Former Queen_. Anyhow, most of those people like me. Or, at least tolerate me. Henry was supposed to lead you inside just before the dancing began and you were supposed to fight over the cupcake, then he was going to run outside…"

Emma kisses her. It's partly to stop all of the talking but mostly because she likes the new weight on her ring finger and the sight of Regina being all cranky about a failed plan that sounds too complicated to have worked out either way. Regina sighs into her mouth and Emma backs her up slowly, until Emma pulls away to kiss everywhere else.

Then they're naked and trying to use the counter as a suitable alternative to the bed just upstairs. After two years together they're both inclined to wait but Emma mutters something about re-christening the entire house all over again and Regina spreads her legs and gasps, "inside. _Please_."

When Regina's head tilts back, Emma licks along the curve of her throat. She manages to pull Regina forward and lean herself far enough over so then they're thrusting hard into each other at the same time. They move together in waves, Emma's mouth latched to Regina's neck in what surely will be a loud, red mark, Regina's heels thrumming against her lower back. It's when Regina lifts her free hand, her left hand, and intertwines her fingers with Emma's, their rings clinking together, that they start to climb and climb and Emma starts to breathe too fast through her nose, seeing grey when she clenches around Regina's fingers.

An hour later, they're in bed. Emma splays on her back while Regina clings to her side and caresses the underside of her breasts, which usually means she's almost drifted off. But Emma is especially talkative and asks, "so who did you put in charge of the projector? At the theatre, I mean?"

"Happy. That idiot Smurf." Regina mumbles uncharacteristically. She's obviously worn out.

"Happy doesn't approve of our relationship, you know." Emma doesn't correct the Smurf thing.

"He doesn't? Why not?" Now Regina is more awake, peering up at Emma.

"Dunno." Emma shrugs. "He's an idiot Smurf, I guess."

Regina chuckles and resumes her previous activities, resting her cheek against Emma's chest. She's a lot more relaxed than she'd been earlier.

Emma admires the ring on her hand as it catches what little light bleeds through the curtains. They'd both had an idea to create rings for one another with stones that counted the number in their immediate new family. Three stones. Three people bound together through some pretty weird stuff.

She isn't alone anymore. Emma turns and wraps her arms around her future wife and joins her in her dreams.


End file.
